Bass fishing and other forms of lure fishing often call for the use of a dual-bearing reel called a bait casting reel. A dual-bearing reel generally comprises a reel unit, a spool that is rotatably supported by the reel unit, a handle that rotationally drives the spool, and a level winding mechanism for winding the fishing line evenly onto the spool.
The reel unit is equipped with a frame having a pair of side plates that are positioned some distance apart to the left and right and that have the spool positioned between them, and a plurality of linking components that link the side plates. The reel unit is also equipped with a pair of side cover members and a front cover member. The side cover members are mounted so as to cover the sides of the side plates. The front cover member covers the front portion between the side plates. In the front surface of the front cover member there is formed an opening facing the fishing line guide mechanism of the level winding mechanism. Because of their complex curved shapes, these cover members are most often made from a synthetic resin.
When lure fishing is performed using a dual-bearing reel such as this, a common practice is called palming, in which the reel is gripped along with the rod in a manner such that the reel unit is covered by the palm of the left hand from the left side, and the handle is turned with the right hand.
When a fisherman is lure fishing with a dual-bearing reel such as this and decides to move to another spot, he usually hooks the fishhook mounted on the lure in the opening of the reel unit. When the fishhook is thus hooked into the opening of the reel unit, the lure does not swing around, making it less likely that the fishhook will snag something. With the above-mentioned conventional reel unit, however, when the fishhook is stopped in the opening of the reel unit, there is the danger that the metal fishhook will damage the cover members of the reel unit, which are made of synthetic resin. Also, since the reel unit is covered with cover members made of synthetic resin, the reel unit is easily scratched when the metal fishhook is stopped somewhere other than the opening.
A need exists for a reel unit that is not easily scratched when a metal fishhook is stopped on it.